by Sophie Oak
James groaned. “There’s a reason he’s a vet.”
“Hey, you’re still alive.”
“No thanks to you.” James shook his head, obviously lost in memory a bit. “When we were kids, we would stay out at the east cabin for weeks and weeks during the summer.”
Noah felt his face light up. He hadn’t been there in forever. “The Man Cave. No girls allowed.”
“Except for Callie.”
“Callie wasn’t a girl. She was a Callie, and if I recall the incident you’re discussing, she was just as responsible as I was.” It felt so good to talk to him. Noah had known he’d been lonely for a while, but sitting and talking to his brother, reminiscing, made him achingly aware of just how lonely he’d been. He’d been without family, without anyone who deeply understood the forces that had created him. He’d been utterly adrift without his roots. He so wanted his roots again. “We were lucky Mom let us go back out after that incident.”
“What happened?” Hope asked, leaning forward. That deep anxiety that had plagued her seemed to flee as she listened to them.
“Yeah,” Bo said eagerly. “I love a good ‘broken bones’ story.”
Trev’s eyes rolled, but even he seemed to want to hear the tale.
James put his fork down. “Our dads bought us this dirt bike when I was thirteen, and Noah had just turned twelve. You’ve got to understand. We come from an incredibly frugal family.”
“Two bikes would have been an extravagance.” Noah could still remember how he’d felt when he’d seen that shiny dirt bike.
James took up the story. “So we’re up in the Man Cave, had been for about a week. We kept in touch with our mom and dads with walkies, and the hands would check on us from time to time. Mom came up once, walked in and nearly gagged. She said the whole place smelled like feet. She never came back.”
They hadn’t exactly been concerned with cleanliness. “We were kids. We didn’t have discerning noses.”
“So I took the bike out,” James continued. “Max told me I couldn’t get the bike up the mountain.”
Bo laughed. “You tried to take a little dirt bike up that huge damn mountain?”
James’s smile spread across his face like the Cheshire cat’s grin. “Oh, I did. I got to the top. It was getting back down that proved troublesome.”
Noah let his head fall to his hand. “He got down that mountain a hell of a lot faster than he got up.”
His brother grimaced. “And the bike came down with me. I was torn up and bleeding. That mountain shaved off layers of skin, I tell you. It was awful.”
Hope gasped. “Is that why you have those scars on your chest?”
James winked her way. “It sure is. It’s why I have scars on my chest, back, shoulders. Everywhere. It took my Indiana Jones T-shirt, too. I loved that T-shirt. So I’m half-dead, but I manage to walk two miles back to the cabin, pushing that bike along. And would you like to know what my dear brother said as I walked in bleeding?”
“I ran to get you,” Noah said, knowing where James was going.
“He yelled, ‘What did you do to the bike!’ He grabbed the bike, and Callie had to come out and help me into the cabin. Asshole. Then he and Callie cleaned me up with alcohol and put gauze over all my wounds just so we wouldn’t have to go home. Well, you can imagine what happened.”
Noah winced. “He scabbed over the gauze. It was horrible. It really is why I became a vet. Dogs don’t howl the way Jamie did that day. Mel was there, luckily. He said the same thing had happened to him during an abduction. I guess the aliens aren’t any better at first aid than Callie and I were. He took Jamie back to his cabin, made him soak in a hot tub, and the gauze sloughed off. Mel was a pretty damn good medic.”
James laughed. “Hey, I didn’t get an infection, and no alien death rays have come for me.”
“Damn, I miss the Man Cave. I want to go up there.” Noah wanted to see it again. Maybe if he could touch that place that had meant so much to him, he could start to feel right again. It was why he’d come home. He wanted to find the boy he’d been so that maybe the man he was could start healing.
James’s face shut down, all his joy fleeing in an instant. The rest of the table got quiet.
“What?” Noah wasn’t sure what he’d said wrong.
“The east cabin burned down when a wildfire burned off near five thousand acres. I got scars from fighting that, too.” James went back to eating.
“I didn’t know.” How could it be gone?
James shrugged. “You wouldn’t. You would have to have called or given a damn in order to know. Trev, do we have a feed shipment tomorrow?”
Noah sat back, his appetite gone. The conversation flowed around him, but he simply sat there. The cabin was gone. His brother was further away than ever.
It had been a mistake to come back. He should have found a job in some other town and started over.
“Give him a little time.” Hope smiled at him, her voice low as Trev and James and Bo discussed the feed shipment.
“I don’t know if there’s enough time in the world,” Noah replied in a whisper. He’d really hurt his brother. He hadn’t meant to. James seemed harder than before, but then it appeared life had kicked him in the crotch more than once since he’d left. Noah had thought he’d had the rougher road, but James’s hadn’t been easy.
“He’ll come around. You’re his brother.” Hope patted his hand.
And James noticed that. His gaze sharpened on the spot where Hope’s hand touched his. James frowned, his fork suspended in midair.
Noah smiled warmly at Hope, well aware that his brother was watching their every move. “Thanks, Hope. I’m looking forward to our date tomorrow.”
“Date?” James ground the word out.
Hope’s gorgeous eyes rolled. “He’s taking me to see Long-Haired Roger so I can find out how much I owe in order to get my car back. It’s not a date.”
“We’re having lunch afterwards.” He knew he was stabbing his brother in the back, but it was the only attention he could get. And once he had Hope in his arms, maybe he could find a way to ease James into the relationship. He knew damn straight that if James got her first, Noah would be left in the damn cold, and he didn’t want that to happen. He felt a connection to Hope. For the first time in forever, his brain and his dick were on the same page.
“Only because you guilted me into it,” Hope complained.
He shrugged. He was fine with that. He’d been guilted into many things himself. It was sometimes the way the world worked. He’d listened in a bit earlier to the talk in the living room. It was obvious she was in some kind of trouble. She needed someone to look after her. Noah couldn’t see why that shouldn’t be him. James hadn’t claimed her. She was alone by her own admission. She might actually need him. She might be the only fucking person in the world who needed him.
“I’ll take you,” James pronounced.
Trev, Beth, and Bo watched, their heads going back and forth as though they were watching a tennis match. Or a fight between two dogs over a bone. He wasn’t giving up his bone.
“She already agreed to go with me,” Noah said, willing to fight.
“You two stop.” Hope slapped at the table. “Both of you. You are acting like toddlers. I don’t know what is going on here, but you’re brothers. Don’t you talk, James. I know he left, but he’s back. And you, stop baiting him. Do you want to start a fight? I am not Rachel. I will not throw my body between the two of you and proceed to allow you to molest me. I will get a hose, and hose you both down. Do you understand?”
James’s eyes dropped to his plate, but there was the faintest hint of a grin on his face. “Yes, ma’am.”
Hope turned to him, a stern expression on her face. She was in charge. For now.
“Yes, ma’am.” Noah didn’t try to hide his smile. She was pretty when she was mad. And she could obviously handle unruly men.
“Excellent.” She sighed and picked up her iced tea. “Then we can
finish a pleasant meal.”
She began to talk to Beth, but Noah just watched her. He was well aware his brother was doing the same damn thing.
* * * *
Hope sat up in bed when the door opened. Long lines of moonlight transformed the little guest room, washing it with silvery light, making the whole space romantic and surreal.
When had she changed into a white gown? She was sure she’d gone to bed wearing a T-shirt and pajama bottoms, but the silky white gown felt right on her skin. It was luxurious, like she was wrapped in a soft cloud. She pushed the quilt back. The early-September air was already cold at night, but she was a little hot. She kicked the covers away, aware of the way the change in temperature caused her body to react. Her nipples tightened, and a little thrill of gooseflesh raced along her skin. Aware. She was so aware of her body. She stretched, feeling a little like a cat waking up from a nap, and that was when she felt his eyes on her.
James.
James stood in the doorway, his long, lean body wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. The moonlight caressed his flesh like an admiring lover. His chest was perfect despite the scars there. No amount of silvery scars could take away from how perfectly cut his torso was. His shoulders were broad, sculpted by an artistic hand. His arms were muscular but not bulky. He was a cowboy god. Sin walking on two legs.
“James? What are you doing here?” Hope asked. Was that throaty voice really her own? She knew she should cover herself, but she couldn’t quite make her hands work.
“I wanted to make sure you were okay.” He stalked into the room. His voice was a deep, velvety caress. He stood over her, his blue eyes staring down. “Do you have everything you need?”
Nope. Not even close. She needed him. She held a hand out.
His smiled warmed her. “I want you, Hope.”
Music to her ears. How long had she wanted to hear that from him? But she was leaving. “I can’t stay in Bliss.”
His handsome face tightened. “I’ll take whatever time we have. Come on, girl. Don’t keep me waiting.”
He’d kept her waiting, but she didn’t want payback. She wanted him. Years she’d gone without wanting anyone. She’d wanted solace. She’d wanted to disappear. She’d wanted to forget. But she hadn’t wanted a person for who they were, for their beauty and body and soul. James Glen was a man-whore. She knew it, but he was also honest and forthright and a gentleman. He was smart and funny, and he made her heart pound.
Her hands went to the silky straps of her gown, gently pushing them down. She showed him her breasts, praying he wouldn’t reject her. He’d been with so many beautiful women. What if he didn’t want her once he’d really seen her?
His eyes went to her chest, a sensual smile playing on his lips. His golden-brown hair fell forward. He was almost never without his hat, but the shaggy hair made him look younger, freer than he normally looked.
She caught her breath as his fingers came up to play with her nipples. The buds tightened, and her arousal started to flow.
He palmed her breasts and leaned forward, his mouth close to hers. “Tell me you want me.”
Oh, so much. She was drugged with desire. “I want you, James.”
He brushed their lips together, a little caress that left her wanting so much more. He stood back up. “Then show me everything. I want to see you. I want to see the hips I’ll hold, the legs that will wrap around me, and I definitely want to see the pussy I finally get to fuck. Show me, Hope.”
His words were fuel for her movement. With a languid sigh, she got to her knees and let the gown slip off her body. It seemed to almost evaporate, as though it knew it was no longer needed. She knelt there, naked before James Glen.
He studied her for a long moment, his eyes caressing her. She let her insecurity go. She breathed and let the moment last. Finally, his hand came out. The tips of his fingers barely touched the notch of her collarbone. She was sure he could feel her pulse pounding. He let his fingers float along her skin, skimming between her breasts, down her belly, across her navel. He stopped just shy of her mound.
“Are you wet?” His voice sounded like it came from all directions. It filled the room until it was all she could hear.
Her pussy flooded with moisture. It was his to command. “Yes.”
His hand moved quickly, tangling in her hair, pulling it back with a little bite of pain. “Yes, what?”
“Yes, James.”
“That’s right. You call me by my name.” He whispered the command in her ear.
She shivered at the dominant tone. “James.”
“That’s right.” He slipped in behind her and cupped her breasts.
“My James.” He was hers. For now.
His fingers tightened on her nipples, rolling them between his thumbs and forefingers. He tugged and rolled and played her like a finely tuned instrument. “You’re lovely, Hope. You hide this under all those clothes.”
She had her reasons for wearing her dowdy, sensible clothes. They reminded her that once she hadn’t been sensible at all, and it had cost someone her life.
She banished him. Christian had no place here. But Noah did.
“Hello, darlin’.”
James didn’t stop his slow exploration of her breasts even as his brother’s voice filled the room.
“You are one gorgeous woman,” Noah said.
Like his brother, he was half-naked, showing off a phenomenally built chest. He was bulkier than his brother. He obviously spent a lot of time in the gym. He was darker, more brooding. He was completely sexy. She could still hear his dark voice telling her to not lie to him. He’d taken control when he’d found her on the side of the road. He’d been commanding, and everything deep inside her had responded to his take-charge attitude.
She liked the fact that he was a little rough. He hadn’t tried to charm her. He’d told her what he wanted. Charm could be deceptive. There he was again. Christian was always there trying to fuck everything up. But this was her time, and he wasn’t welcome.
“She is gorgeous, brother.” James lowered his head as he gently pushed her back into the pillows. When had he gotten in front of her? He seemed to move like a wraith. One minute he was behind her, his denims making contact with the soft flesh of her ass, and then next he was easing her down to the bed.
Noah stood beside them, looking down on Hope with a satisfied smile. “I knew we would be here.”
She wasn’t sure why they weren’t fighting, but she was willing to go with it. The idea of both James and Noah wanting her made her heart soar. So different and yet so sweetly alike. Their shared history was so interesting to her. She’d never had a sibling. Her mom had one child, and that had proven way too much for her to handle. Hope had dreamed of a family and one that didn’t consist of mere duty. Her mother had shoved a plate of food in front of her at dinnertime and then turned on the TV. And when she was sixteen, her mom had screamed at her to get out because Hope hadn’t gotten along with her new boyfriend. She wanted a family like James and Noah had had. It was as alluring as their hard bodies and gorgeous faces. It was sexier than anything.
She imagined herself between them. Warmth and strength would surround her. She would feel small even though she wasn’t. She would feel safe, engulfed by their power.
“Could someone kiss me?”
Something was wrong. She could feel it. There was something she was missing, but James leaned forward and sucked her nipple into his mouth. Noah climbed on the bed behind her, turning her head gently so he could take her mouth. His tongue surged inside, playing against hers. So sweet. She loved the way he tasted and how James sucked her nipples. This was what she’d longed for—to be the center of their attention. She’d only known Noah for a day, but she longed for him.
She hissed at the little nip James gave her.
“Oh, he’s a bad man, Hope.” Noah chuckled against her lips. “He’s going to leave marks.”
She would take them. She didn’t mind rough. She liked it. She would li
ke to walk around knowing her flesh bore a little bit of James Glen’s discipline. Damn. She was a freak, but it was fine.
“I’m going to leave a mark, too, darlin’.” Noah pressed kisses all over her face. “I’m going to spank that pretty ass of yours just before I fuck it. I’m going to open up your asshole and shove my cock in.”
She shuddered a bit. Dark and forbidden. He would take her to places she’d never been before.
“This is mine.” James’s fingers slid through her pussy. “I’m going to eat this like a ripe peach.”
That sounded perfect.
James kissed his way down her torso, dipping his tongue into her navel before rubbing his nose right in her pussy. “You smell good, Hope.”
“He likes to eat pussy,” Noah said. “I do, too, but I can wait my turn.”
She gasped as James’s tongue slid over her clit. It felt so good. Her whole body was languid and soft. She was their pretty plaything.
“You’ll be waiting a while, brother. This is my treat for now,” James said before shoving his tongue right up her cunt.
“He never liked to share our toys.” Noah frowned. “I’m going to tell Mom.”
“Are not.” James’s head came up.
“Are, too.” Noah was frowning like a mad toddler.
“Are not.”
“Are, too.”
Hope sat straight up in bed. “What is wrong with you two?”
“It’s his fault.” Noah pointed at James.
James rolled his eyes. “Is not.”
“Is, too.”
“You’ll have to forgive them,” a very cultured British voice said. Hope looked down, and Butch sat at the end of the bed dressed in a crisp doggy tuxedo. “They really have no manners. But that one does.”
She followed the dog’s line of vision.
James and Noah were gone. Christian Grady stood over the bed, the golden halo of his hair shining in the moonlight.
“Did you think I would let you get away from me? There’s no leaving me, Hope. You’re mine. Forever.” He smiled down at her, and that was when she noticed the long silver knife in his hand. It dripped with blood. “I can keep you with me forever.”